Tens of civilians arrested, taken to unknown destinations in Anbar

Anbar (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State have arrested tens of civilians in western Anbar and took them to unknown destination, Alghad Press reported on Thursday.

The militant group arrested more than fifty youths in Qaim town, western Anbar, and took them to unknown place.

On Wednesday, fighter jets bombarded an IS store leaving it completely destroyed with ten members killed. Coalition jets pounded, earlier this week, house of IS leader Hilal Ismail al-Salmani in the town of al-Qaim, killing him and seven of his companions in Qaim.

Last week, the Defense Ministry’s War Media Cell said the air force bombarded six IS locations in Qaim, killing 94 members, including a senior security commander and a close aide to the group’s supreme leader abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

Anbar’s western towns of Anah, Qaim and Rawa are still held by the extremist group since 2014, when it occupied one third of Iraq to proclaim a self-styled Islamic Caliphate. Iraqi troops were able to return life back to normal in the biggest cities of Anbar including Fallujah, Ramadi and others after recapturing them.

Fighter jets from the Iraqi army and the international coalition regularly pound IS locations in the province.

Late July, Iraqi army jets reportedly dropped millions of leaflets on western Anbar telling locals that liberation offensives for the province were nearing.